the council says don't, the pool says otherwise
The Cascata do Arado is on the Arado river, at 900 metres altitude, near the village of Ermida in the Parque Nacional da Peneda-Gerês. It's a high waterfall, one of the tallest in the park, cascading down the granite slope in a series of steps to a green pool at the bottom. The Câmara de Terras de Bouro officially discourages swimming, with good reason: the floor is steep and slippery, and going off-trail to get down causes serious accidents every year. Despite this, on any summer day you'll find people in the pool. The descent is tough, it's true. But those who go down carefully, with the right shoes and enough time, find one of the best swimming pools in the Gerês.
The official visit starts at the viewpoint. You park by the Ponte do Arado, at the end of about 3km of dirt road from Ermida (any car can handle it, carefully). From the bridge, you climb stone steps along the PR14 and in ten minutes you reach the viewpoint built by the Forestry Services, with a stone staircase and railings. From there you see the waterfall in front, with the green valley opening below. That's what the Câmara offers. The descent to the pool is at your own risk, down the right bank looking at the waterfall, between rocks that are invisible in the tall June grass.
The flow varies a lot throughout the year. In high summer, especially August, the river drops a lot and the falls are reduced to a trickle over rock: the pool holds but loses its drama. In spring and in October-November, after the rains, the waterfall runs hard and the pool fills with spray; swimming becomes unrealistic then. For the balance between visible water flow and a calm pool for swimming, the end of June or September is the ideal window. Downstream, on the same Arado river, are the Cascatas Fecha de Barjas (Tahiti), with tiered pools and easier access; that's the option for those who want a swim without having to tackle a wild trail. Here at the Arado, what there is is a pool. And the view from above.
worth knowing
- the Câmara discourages swimming; the accident risk is in the descent, not the pool itself
- you park by the Ponte do Arado; the last kilometre is on a dirt track and the viewpoint is a 10-minute walk along the PR14
- the descent to the pool goes down the right bank facing the waterfall, off the official trail, with slippery rocks and vegetation that hides the ground
- in August the waterfall may have little water; in February the flow is too strong for swimming
- don't jump from the waterfall; the pool is for getting in at the edge, not for receiving a jump from the top
